The Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Cerebral Infarction Treatment: Challenges and Opportunities

Purpose of ReviewThis paper summarizes recent literature on the pandemic's effects on IS treatment. The literature is searched in popular databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer, Wiley Online, and Google Scholar. Cerebral infarction (CI) or ischemic stroke (IS) refer to a stroke caused by the blockage of blood in the brain. Ischemic stroke is a common disorder among all types of strokes. We discuss the challenges and opportunities about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impacts on the IS treatment in different settings.Recent FindingsThe search strategy resulted in 107 research articles following the studies' exclusion\inclusion criteria. This paper identifies several challenges and opportunities arising from COVID-19 pandemic for IS patients tested positive for COVID-19 infection. One potential solution to prevent IS in COVID-positive patients is the use of statins to counteract the scenarios. It is concluded that septic and post-procedural complications are among the more common complications found in infected patients.SummaryAccess to medical services for stroke patients during COVID-19 pandemic is very crucial across the globe. A healthcare system with the established emergency plan could reduce the mortality rate among IS patients during pandemic times.